# Earth vs EarthViewer

The clearest difference is rating: Earth at 4.6 against EarthViewer's 4.4. EarthViewer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 74%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Earth holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 107 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Earth's written reviews are positive against 83% of EarthViewer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Earth ships an update every 4 months, EarthViewer every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Earth | EarthViewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346/reviews)** | [4.4 (107 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthviewer/id590208430/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 42 | **107** |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **83.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 181 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **9.3** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jet Propulsion Laboratory](https://appshunter.io/developer/347075767) | [Howard Hughes Medical Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/411540290) |

## What reviewers say

### Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earth-now/id494633346)

Visualize global climate data from NASA satellites, including temperature, CO2, and sea level. Explore 3D Earth models with interactive controls and color-coded maps to understand environmental conditions.

**Highlights:** Global climate data visualization, Satellite data from Earth Science, Surface air temperature maps, CO2 and CO levels, Ozone and water vapor data, Gravity and sea level variations, Interactive 3D Earth model

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌍 Real-time Earth data visualization
- 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
- 🎨 Beautiful and mesmerizing graphics
- 📊 Comprehensive satellite data from NASA/JPL
- 🆓 Free access to scientific information

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on older devices
- ⏳ Slow loading times on poor internet
- 🔍 Difficult to understand without scientific background
- 🗺️ Antarctica and polar regions blacked out/missing
- 📐 Zooming and scrolling too sensitive

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup or during use
- Endless 'Loading model' message
- Crashes on iPhone 4 and older devices
- Pixel doubler requirement on iPad
- No landscape orientation support

**Requested features**

- Celsius/Kelvin temperature unit options
- Satellite information (height, launch date)
- ISS tracking capability
- Ocean current visualization
- Ice sheet data layers


### EarthViewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthviewer/id590208430)

Explore Earth's 4.5 billion-year history with this interactive time machine. See how continents, oceans, and climate have changed over eons, track landmarks and fossils, and visualize scientific data like temperature and biodiversity. Discover the dynamic evolution of our planet.

**Highlights:** Continental reconstructions over billions of years, Sea level and temperature maps, Track landmark and fossil movements, Visualize atmospheric composition and biodiversity, Explore geological eons, eras, and periods, Automated play modes and animations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌍 Comprehensive geological history visualization from 4.6 billion years ago to present
- 📚 Excellent educational resource for teachers and students
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive interface design
- 🆓 Free app with extensive features and data
- 🔄 Smooth continental drift animation and timeline controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🚫 Cannot exit app without force-closing or restarting device
- 🐛 App freezes when switching between map projections
- 📱 Not optimized for newer iOS versions
- 🌏 Australia appears incorrectly in ancient Earth viewer
- 🔲 Grid coordinates (lat/lon) not displaying properly

**Reported bugs**

- App cannot be closed normally - requires force quit or device restart
- App freezes when switching from flat map to globe view
- Australia appears in incorrect locations in ancient Earth viewer
- Grid coordinates (latitude/longitude) not displaying
- Globe transparency and image distortion on iPad

**Requested features**

- Add Pangea Proxima/Pangea Ultima supercontinent visualization
- Add Kenorland supercontinent (2500 Mya)
- Include future Earth continental drift predictions (0-250 million years)
- Add Pleistocene ice age details with smaller time increments
- Include ground-level view of Earth with animals and landscapes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Earth free?

Earth is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is EarthViewer free?

EarthViewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Earth or EarthViewer?

Earth is rated higher. Earth averages 4.6 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while EarthViewer averages 4.4 from 107 ratings.

### Do Earth or EarthViewer have ads?

Neither Earth nor EarthViewer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Earth or EarthViewer?

Earth ships an update every 4 months, and EarthViewer every 2 months. Most recently, Earth was updated on October 20, 2026 and EarthViewer on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*